For much of the summer, Arsenal were in pursuit of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško, but ultimately decided to sign Viktor Gyökeres instead. While several reasons for this pivot have already been made public, fresh reports have shed more light on why the Gunners walked away.
Arsenal completed the signing of the Sweden international just over a week ago, wrapping up a long-running saga with a £73.5 million package. The new number 14 has already begun impressing backroom staff, but the club had seriously considered Šeško as an alternative.
Šeško was once top of Arsenal’s list
At one point, Šeško was the top target in Arsenal’s striker shortlist. Mikel Arteta was particularly keen on the Slovenian and had reportedly pushed for a move last summer as well.
However, the Gunners eventually pulled out of negotiations due to multiple concerns. As cited by the Mirror, Arsenal reportedly heard “alarm bells” during preliminary discussions.
The report highlighted three major issues:
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His significant transfer fee
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Complications over personal terms
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Worrying signs over whether the 22-year-old could mentally handle the pressure of leading the Arsenal line
Šeško has only played two seasons in a European top-five league, and Arsenal were unsure whether he was ready to take on the scrutiny and demands that come with such a pivotal role.
With Arsenal determined to compete at the highest level now, the club opted for Gyökeres – a player viewed as being at the peak of his powers and ready to deliver immediately.
Long-term future or a missed opportunity?
Whether Gyökeres becomes an instant hit remains to be seen, but fans have every reason to feel optimistic about his early impressions.
As for Šeško, the door may not be completely closed. Given Arsenal’s habit of revisiting past targets, could the Slovenian still be a name to watch in the years ahead?
What do you think, Gooners? Was it the right decision to move on from Šeško?
Benjamin Kenneth
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“Was it the right decision to move on from Šeško?” – nobody (that’s nobody) knows. Only time and the relentless nature of the EPL will tell. If Šeško joins another EPL club then at least there will be a chance for some comparison (for what it’s worth).
I’m pleased Arsenal got Gyokeres in the end and I hope he’ll be a great success. However, it’s pretty pointless indulging in “what if” scenarios over Šeško now because it can/will never happen.
Sesko is trash look how many goals he got last season compared to gyokeres.
As Bertie quite rightly points out above, no one knows until they play and then it’s not conclusive as they will be playing for different teams with different systems. Anyway we will see and its looking like our opening game of the season could be Gyökeres v Sesko.
Now that we’ve got Gyokeres, I wonder what the odds will be that we draw Coventry in the League Cup or FA Cup.😂🤷♂️
At least even money 🤦♂️
Gyökeres obviously chose Arsenal over Man U., while Šeško is looking to do the exact opposite. To me this alone means we got the right man. The opening match will hopefully convince everyone about that.